Wednesday, November 1, 2000

I just found out this week that there is a referendum for "liquor by the drink" on the ballot for Nov. 7. I am very appalled: (1) that it is not a county-wide vote and (2) that the citizens of Fayetteville would consider such a thing for such an upstanding community.

I live on Sandy Creek Road (aka Fayette raceway). This is just outside the city limits. I can tell you of at least four wrecks of teens and adults (drinking involved in all but one) that have been in my front yard.

Fayette County Sheriff's deputies have been known to say that they have clocked cars going 65 mph on this road that is only 45 mph. Can you imagine if liquor were put into the mix? It would be 10 times worse.

The man behind the petition lives in the city now but is moving out to the county limits soon. They say this just affects the city not true! Those people who would be drinking in the city will have to drive home on our county roads. I do not want to share the roads with these people.

And truly, what is it going to cost? Will we need more police? More EMS? Can our emergency room handle a major trauma? What about restaurants who do not and will not sell liquor? How many more empty buildings do we need in Fayetteville?

I love this community. I lived and went to school in this county as a young person and now I am raising my family here. If I wanted to live in a bar district, I would live in Buckhead. That is a great example of a small community, like ours, with an alcohol problem that has brought crime and death. Keep this out of Fayetteville, please.

Also keep in mind, that if we sell it by the drink, it won't be long before we have liquor stores on our corners and then we will be another Old National Highway.

Jennifer Hall

Fayetteville

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